RAWALPINDI: Experts at a workshop on December 9 said ending child marriage strengthens families by ensuring that girls marry only when they are physically and emotionally mature, equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resilience needed to take on new roles and responsibilities. They were speaking at a workshop on reproductive health and the complications associated with early and child marriages. The session highlighted how early marriages negatively affect girls’ education, health, and overall wellbeing,
Child Rights in Focus
TAXILA:A government school in Taxila on December 9 got Pakistan’s firsteco-friendly classroom offering students a modern learning space designed to conserve energy and reduce environmental impact. The classroom has been established in Government Boys Primary School located in a far flung and remote area near Mallpur by Moawin Foundation, in partnership with the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF)and support of Hashmi Foundation. Constructed with the support of the Heritage Foundation, the bamboo classroom has been
LAHORE: Leading medical experts have urged the Punjab government to focus on gathering accurate information, data and to promote factual knowledge about HIV/AIDS to counter the rising number of cases. They highlighted the leading factors behind HIV/AIDS cases, including practices by the quacks at an awareness seminar organised by the Department of Community Medicine at the Fatima Jinnah Medical University (FJMU) in connection with “World AIDS Day” on December 9. They said that it
SUKKUR: An ex-serviceman was shot dead allegedly by extortionists near Madeji Bypass in Shikarpur on December 8. The attack also left a 12-year-old girl dead and another man wounded. Police and locals told media that unknown armed men opened fire on the retired soldier, Liaquat Ujjan, leaving him and another man, Siraj Jatoi, critically injured. The young girl, Zoya Jatoi, also received bullet wounds and died on the spot. The victims happened to be
KARACHI: In one of the major neighbourhood-level interventions since the new local government system came into place in 2023, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has approved nearly Rs300 million per year —Rs100,000 per month each — for 246 union committees (UCs) to exclusively maintain manhole covers and streetlights. The decision came in a move triggered by a public outrage after a three-year-old boy drowned in an uncovered nullah near NIPA. “And this is in addition to
QUETTA: Unknown armed men gunned down a government school teacher and his 10-year-old son in the Kalat area, police said on December 8. The incident took place in the Mughalzai area, a locality on the outskirts of Kalat town, between Sunday night and Monday. Unknown armed men opened indiscriminate fire at an auto-rickshaw, resulting in the death of 10-year-old Mohammad Akram Zehri, who was travelling with his father. The school teacher, identified as Ghulam
ABU DHABI: Pakistan has emerged as a central focus of a global polio funding drive after international donors pledged $1.9 billion in Abu Dhabi to accelerate eradication efforts, with Pakistan remaining one of only two countries where the virus is still endemic. Pakistan committed $154 million to strengthen nationwide vaccination campaigns, surveillance, and emergency response. Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal represented the country at the event, which was also attended by Bill Gates, World
The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on December 9, calling upon the government to fix a uniform legal age of marriage of 18 years for both girls and boys across Pakistan, reaffirming Sindh’s leadership in protecting children’s rights and ending child marriage nationwide. The resolution welcomed the assent of President Asif Ali Zardari to the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, for the Islamabad Capital Territory, which declares 18 years as the minimum legal
The Punjab Child Protection Policy was approved in June 2025. The policy outlines the Government of Punjab’s commitment to safeguarding children from abuse, violence, exploitation, neglect, and harmful practices, in line with the UNCRC and constitutional obligations. It establishes a framework for prevention and coordinated response through strengthened legal, institutional, and governance systems across multiple departments. The policy defines roles for all stakeholders, including families, government bodies, private institutions, and civil society to ensure
GUJAR KHAN: Students of Government Girls High School Guliyana, Gujar Khan, are forced to study while squatting on the cold classroom floors due to non-availability of student furniture. Parents of the girls pointed out that Government Girls High School Guliyana was established decades ago and remains one of the most prominent schools in Gujar Khan tehsil, with a large catchment area. They added that landowners had generously donated valuable land for the establishment and
There is something deeply tragic about how the world of numbers works. On paper, cutting off international aid to stimulate the local economy seems a plausible measure. But, in reality, the effects of such cuts are devastating and almost irreversible. At a time when the world should be celebrating continued gains against child mortality, the Gates Foundation has raised alarms. In its annual Goalkeepers report, the foundation highlights that roughly 200,000 more children are
KARACHI: A man allegedly murdered his wife and severely injured his daughter during a domestic dispute at their home near Noorani Mosque in Upper Gizri, Clifton on the night of 5 December. Their 12-year-old daughter succumbed to her injuries before reaching Jinnah Hospital. Police identified the victims as 45-year-old Kulsoom and her daughter Maryam. Clifton SHO Imran Saad, upon receiving the report, reached the scene with police personnel, arrested the suspect, Samiullah, and recovered